Is Online Dating Safe? Precaution Notes for Online Dating!

by Rachel Greene

The Truth About Online Dating

Ahhh, the internet – it has brought us knowledge, shopping, and even love; these days there is nothing you cannot find online, and a relationship is one of those things. The popularity of online dating is apparent when counting the amount of dating sites nowadays but while the internet is a great way to meet potential love interests, it's important to be careful when getting involved with them. Luckily the internet can also help you with this mission, and you should get to know the ways you can protect yourself when dating someone you met online.

Online Dating Statistics

According to a report issued by the Statistic Brain Research Institute, nearly 50 million Americans have tried online dating at least once. According to another review issued by the Statista, 84% of online daters use these types of sites to find a relationship, 43% use dating sites to find new friends, and 24% use them to find random hookups.

30% of Americans who use online dating sites are between the ages 18 to 29. 16% of people on such sites make between $30,000 and $74,999 a year.

A surprising fact is that more men use dating websites compared to women (approximately 62%). Also, 13% of American men tried dating apps compared to 9% of women.

As a result of the rising popularity of online dating sites among both sexes, the industry now makes $1.9 billion in yearly revenues, with an average of $243 spent by online daters. The success of internet dating platforms is no surprise considering the fact that more than half of Americans think it's a good place to find a relationship.

The drop-out rate for online dating is about 10%, with 1 in ten people leaving dating sites three months after signing up for them. Another surprising fact about online dating is the perception of Tinder; the popular app was once regarded as a hookup app because of its swiping method, is now regarded as a relationship app; 80% of the people on Tinder say they are using it to find a serious partner.

How Safe is Online Dating?

Aside from helping us with daily issues, the internet is also a place where scammers lurk to find their next victims, and online dating is no different. Since dating sites started gaining popularity, they also started ranking up with crime associated with them; in 2019, the most dangerous states for online dating are Missouri, Florida, and Louisiana, where there are high rates of identity theft and STDs.

Aside from being at risk of falling to identity theft, online dating apps can also be a hot bad for criminal with statistics demonstrating how dangerous these sites can be:

81% of online daters lie on their profile – a lot of people bend the truth when they want to get someone to like them, but it's a far cry from making up an entire personality; while there are people who post old photos and make up small lies, others lie about their marital status, their name, their age, their criminal past, etc. The bigger the lie, the more likely it is for online liars to hurt the people they are going to date.

10% of sex offenders have an online dating profile – as of 2019, there are 800,000 registered sex offenders, meaning 80,000 have a dating profile. The chances of meeting a sex offender online are high, and that is one of the dangers of signing up for online dating.

51% of people on online dating sites are already involved with someone else – this means that you have a 1:2 chance of talking to someone who is already in a relationship. Naturally, this is not something they would post on their profile, so it is up to you to check if someone is lying to you.

12% of online dating users are married – being in a relationship is one thing but being married and lying about it is a whole other ball game. These days, more than 10% of online daters are married and lying about having a spouse.

10% of people on dating sites are scammers – online scams are responsible for Americans losing billions of dollars each year, and they will stop at nothing to take advantage of their next victim. Seeing as the internet is a place where scammers can easily get in touch with people and even hack their personal information, dating sites are just one of the resources used by them.

How to Be Safe on Online Dating Websites

Online dating can be fun and even help you find love, but you have signed up for dating sites with your eyes open. To find out more about the people you are talking to, you should run a background check on people using GoLookUp. The service provided by the website will give you information about people from dating apps and sites, like their age, their real name, their marital status, criminal records, any sex offenses they may have committed, and much more.

Online dating is a great way to find any type of relationship you want, and you can use these types of sites from wherever you want. When signing up for dating sites, make sure you have as much information as possible about the people you are speaking with, and make sure you are safe at all times.

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